Statewide Iowa — The state teachers union is calling on superintendents and school boards to include teachers and other school staff in discussions about how districts plan to use the latest batch of 770 MILLION dollars in federal pandemic relief.
State law limits teacher contract negotiations to a discussion of salaries, but ISEA president Mike Beranek says U.S. Department of Education guidelines require all school employees to be engaged in meaningful consultation in how federal funds approved in March are used.
Allison Grier, a Spanish teacher at Newton High School, says this new batch of federal funds can be used in creative ways to address student needs and learning loss.
Kelly McMahon, a kindergarten teacher at Hoover Elementary in Cedar Rapids, says the money can help address barriers to student success.
The latest round of pandemic relief funds from the federal government can be used to do things like hire new teachers, mental health counselors and school nurses or to finance summer school programs.
